1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to squeezable toy playthings, and more particularly to a throwable ball-like toy that resembles an organic object, the toy when squeezed and deformed by a player then simulating a natural discharge from the organic object.
2. Status of Prior Art
This invention is concerned with a squeezable toy ball that qualifies as a "gross" toy; that is to say a toy which is disgusting or in poor taste. However the fact that a toy may be offensive to many adults does not detract from its appeal to children, for children are drawn to such toys as they are to horror films repugnant to adults.
The psychological justification for gross toys is the same as that for classic fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood whose grandmother is devoured by a wolf and Hansel and Gretel in which the witch is burned alive. Horror movies and fairy tales enable a child to vicariously experience the horrors of the real world and, in doing so, to become conditioned to cope with these horrors. Thus while the organs of the human body, such as the brain, the pancreas and the intestines are somewhat gruesome and replicas of these organs may be disgusting, they nevertheless hold a fascination for children.
Our prior U.S. Pat. No 5,577,723 discloses a "gross" toy constituted by a squeezable ball resembling a human intestine. The ball is formed by a spherical shell of transparent plastic film encasing a hollow core of resilient plastic material whose surface is configured to resemble a human intestine. Injected into the hollow core through an orifice therein is a charge of oil. When the ball is squeezed and deformed by a player, oil intermingled with air is then discharged through the orifice into spaces between the core and the shell, and when the ball is released to resume its normal shape, oil and air are sucked back into the core. These actions produce gurgling sounds suggestive of the activity of an intestine.
The present invention deals with another aspect of a human organ which in the context of a ball-like toy renders it gross. That activity is the process of suppuration in which as a result of an infection, pus is formed and discharged from an abscess or other lesion. Pus is a viscous, yellowish-white fluid formed in infected tissue, the pus consisting of white blood cells, cellular debris and necrotic tissue. The discharge of pus from diseased tissues, though a common experience, is not a pleasant sight. However, the invention is not limited to balls which resemble human organs, for it encompasses any organic object in somewhat spherical form, such as a humanoid or animal head or that of a monster.